There’s no single way to figure out our lives. That would be way too easy. Each person has to go through their own trials, their own joys, and their own reflection to figure out what they’re doing in life. It can be a daunting task, but the journey to discovering what makes you happy and what purpose drives you is incredibly rewarding. We don’t always get to experience someone else’s insight into their journey, but Kailey Prior is pulling back the curtain on her quest. A queer folk musician from Brooklyn, Prior has taken the experiences she’s gone through and put them into her new EP, We’re Okay. You can listen to her journey today, as we have the premiere of the EP right here.
Prior is a great songwriter, which is evident from the opening strums on the guitar of EP opener “Assume.” Taking the common saying about assumptions she starts the lyrics off with, she then spins an entire tale about deconstructing all of the assumptions people have made about her. Cello player Tallie Gabriel shines here (and Alexandra Cummings does justice to the instrument later in the EP). “Through” continues this theme of Prior discovering her own worth and moving on from people who hold her back. The plucky, upbeat riffs here make for the brightest, happiest breakup song you’ll ever hear. She shows off her more subdued side on “Sleepwalker,” a piano-based ballad about being there for a friend who isn’t quite ready to “wake up” and start their own journey yet.
The fourth track, “Not a Tree,” may be the strongest track on We’re Okay. While Prior shares much of her experience in life with listeners, she has no interest in just serving as some abstract inspirational ideal. Instead of “making [herself] a tree” or a book or anything else, Prior stays commited to being herself, a fully realized person with flaws and dreams and real emotions. It’s a stirring reminder to treat everyone, even people you might look up to, as the real human beings they are. The EP ends on “Little Bird,” the perfect track to bring We’re Okay to a close. Gentle encouragement goes along with Prior’s gentle lyrics and whistling. The rest of the instruments fade into the background here, letting Prior shine on her own. Throughout We’re Okay there’s no doubt Prior has fully thought out her journey and arrived at a happy, serene embrace of her life that’s moving to listen to.
Prior shared what some of these emotions were like while recording the EP. She says:
“‘We’re Okay’ has been the center of my universe for so long. It’s been quite a healing process working intimately with these songs, which all center around self-love and self-discovery. While written at different times, with different inspirations, they continue to meet me wherever I am, in whatever way I need them, and I hope they will do the same for anyone who listens.”
You can listen to Kailey Prior’s new EP We’re Okay below.
